The Dynamics and Physics Theme involves research aimed at improving our understanding of tropical cyclones through the application of fundamental physical principles of air motion, moist thermodynamics, and radiation. Researchers use a combination of theory, aircraft observations, analysis, and numerical modeling to better understand how phenomena from the microscale to the environmental scale contribute to motion, structure and intensity changes. Researchers work closely with scientists in the other themes to improve the tools available and to apply new understanding in a way that benefits prediction.

• Tropical cyclone intensity change: convective and mesoscale processes and intensity change, with an emphasis on rapid intensification
• Tropical cyclones in vertical shear: impact of vertical wind shear on structure and intensity; vortex resilience theory
• Tropical cyclogenesis: role of mesoscale and convective-scale processes in genesis
• Extratropical transition: processes by which tropical cyclones transition to intense extratropical cyclones at high latitudes
• Tropical transition: processes by which non-tropical disturbances transition into tropical cyclones
• Meso- and miso-scale features: eyewall mesocyclones and extreme features in the eyewall and ultimate impacts on intensity and intensity change
• Microphysics: Obtain number and mass concentrations of particles from 0.6 μm - 6 mm diameter in the hurricane to comprehend the energetics of the storm.
• Turbulence: in-situ and remote observations of turbulent fluxes, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent transport processes including vertical and horizontal mixing and entrainment in tropical cyclones
• Air-sea interactions: Quantifying the role of the upper ocean in modulating surface fluxes of heat and moisture in hurricanes

• Advanced prediction and modeling
• CIMAS Contributions to OAR Disaster Recovery Act Projects
• Development of Multiple Moving Nests Within a Basin-Wide HWRF Modeling
• Environmental and inner-core vertical shear TC impacts
• Environmental flow impacts on tropical cyclone inner-core structure
• Extra-tropical transition
• Hurricane Regional and Global Model Evaluation and Improvement Project
• Inner-core structure of rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones
• Meso- and Miso-scale structures in the eye and eyewall of major hurricanes
• Model Error in HWRF Surface Layer and Boundary Layer Parameterizations
• Observing System Experiments with aircraft data
• Optimization of the NOAA G-IV Surveillance Aircraft Flight Patterns through Observing System Simulation Experiments
• Real-time Doppler winds
• Saharan Air Layer
• Services to Support the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project
• SFMR Surface Wind Improvement in Heavy Rain Conditions
• Storm-Relative Data Assimilation
• Vortex-Scale Data Assimilation With HEDAS